Urban Farm Update + Happy Anniversary- three years of being car-lite

Urban Farm Update In Photos

The pullets combs are turning dark red. Eggs should be arriving soon!

Canning jars and jars of sauce this month. I'm looking forward to all of the Italian and Tex-Mex feasts this winter.

The onion harvest is going well. The onions started from seeds are much larger (could be the variety, of course, so I'll have to check this out next year and take better notes!).

In Other News...

This week I have been thinking about sustainability. We grow all of our veggies and chickens organically, we shop locally when at all possible, and we recycle like our lives depend on it. But what about transportation? Our urban farm is called "Two Wheels" because of our family's love of biking. But we also live in the USA, so it's not just a car, it's your freedom!

I've kept this post card for 3 years. I like to think it influenced me in some positive ways.

In the past I had many fantastic notions of going completely car-free. I'm concerned about global warming, the downsides of oil (both foreign and domestic), and I just hate traffic in general. So in my ideal, eco-friendly world I would bike, walk, or take public transportation for all of my errands. If necessary (for example, buying the 48-count toilet paper at Costco) I could use a cab/Uber, participate in ride-share programs, or use a car-sharing program such as Zipcar.

So we parked our two cars in the garage and went for a couple of weeks without driving. In that short amount of time we discovered that we needed at least one car. Some issues we discovered (#1 is huge):

1. Biking in winter, even in sub-zero, snowy weather, can often be very doable. However, I feel unsafe on icy, slippery roads with cars, especially when piled snow makes the roads very narrow.

A fat bike in winter helps on most snowy days, but sometimes the roads just don't feel safe to me.

2. Kids often have the option to ride the bus (this is offered in our school district and I am very thankful for it), but sometimes children have events after school or doctor's appointments during the school day that require quick transportation.

3. Because we live in a medium-sized city, some of our friends live too far away to visit by bike and public transportation is not always available. I know that I could ask my friends to come to my house or have them give me rides, but then the eco-friendly argument doesn't work.

I then ran across the idea of car-lite.

My trusty brown bike at the local co-op (1.25 miles from home).

Car-Lite: using a car only when necessary

My aha! moment: why keep an extra car around when one would do? The average American pays $452 a month on a car payment ($33,000 on a new car), and insurance in Wisconsin averages $91 a month. These costs don't include all of the gas, oil changes, tires, and repairs. So we sold one of our cars three years ago and have never looked back. People are often surprised to find out we have only one car, but we do very well and can get where we need to go. Some things I have learned:

1. Plan your week in advance and see who needs the car and run multiple car errands at once.

2. Choose doctors, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, etc. that are bikeable or walkable. Not only does this reduce the need for a car, it supports your local community.

3. Buy a car that can do everything you need. A Jeep Wrangler is fun to drive, but if you're only going to own one car, something more practical may be in order.

4. Make being car-lite fun by challenging yourself to try out new sources of transportation. Go on a date and use only public transportation or try doing your weekly grocery run by bike.

5. Having a bike basket, cargo bike, or a trailer (even an old children's trailer) is a very handy accessory for carrying purchases or taking the blanket, picnic basket, and toys to the park.

Green Cab is my favorite local taxi because they have bike racks.

Perfect growing weather

I keep reading that the hot, rainy, and muggy Wisconsin summer is going to lead to a whopper of a corn and soybean harvest. They never mention food crops in these articles, but if eating local is a goal, this particular August would be a great time to take up the challenge. The past couple of weeks we have taken in a haul from the urban farm: tomatoes, okra, tomatillos, summer squash, cucumbers, onions, and peppers. The summer veggies are in full swing!

It looks like we should harvest at least 100 pounds of tomatoes this year (I'm keeping track so we'll see how close we get).

It's also a great time of year to buy local. This week I've found delicious organic sweet corn, honey, raw cheese, and beer.

Who says you need GMO Bt corn to have nice looking ears?

I love shopping at the local Willy Street Co-Op, but I do sometimes wander into Costco and find local foods in giant quantities at decent prices.

We have a rule to eat at least one of our urban farm raised vegetables with each meal (bonus if you eat two or more). But we have plenty of extras. I give some away when I see neighbors out in their yards, and I've been freezing and canning so we can continue to eat local all winter.

I learned this year that it is unsafe to can squash (my original plan). Good thing it freezes well!

Looking forward to making enchiladas with this tomatillo sauce.

And someday soon we'll have our own local, zero food mile eggs.

This pullet is looking warm!

Now I need to start thinking about planting fall crops...

Just like spring, so you have another chance to learn from mistakes and try new varieties.

Planning, planning, planning

Some deep thoughts from a very long bike ride with way too much time to think!

Ok, it's true. I am a big planner and the nerd of the family. I like to spend time in Excel spreadsheets and really know my numbers. This is why when on my bike ride across Iowa (RAGBRAI) someone said, "you're just lucky to be able to afford to stay out of the workforce and live your [urban farm] lifestyle," I had to stop and think about how we grew the urban farm from idea to reality. Maybe it was part luck (isn't everything?) but we did plan for a long time.

So much corn in Iowa ...

After some thinking I did during the hours and hours I spent each day peddling roads along corn fields in Iowa, I decided to share my thoughts on how my family made this urban farm and homesteading lifestyle doable and sustainable, and perhaps I can help someone else find their path.

1. The most important thing we have done is get out of debt. For us this was the only way we could realistically live on one salary and allow me to leave my regular 8 to 5 gig. In our situation, we spent about 10 years paying off all of our student loans, car loans, and eventually even our mortgage. Basically my entire salary and a good chunk of my SOs salary went to paying extra payments each month. We were fortunate to both have steady work during this time (and for that I am very thankful) and we were also living the St. Vinney's Thrift Shop, save up and pay cash, one-car family, Dave Ramsey beans and rice, rice and beans lifestyle.

2.  Secondly, we live in a house that has a farmable yard. Of course, you can grow some food almost anywhere (patio, windowsill, straw bale), but it is helpful to have the right amount of space to accommodate how much food you want to grow. Ample sunshine and access to water is crucial (even for a very small space plants need to have good light). And if animals are in your plan, learn the rules of your town and neighborhood. If you rent, you'll want to make sure that your landlord is onboard as well.

3. This certainly isn't romantic, but health insurance is also really important. Anyone who has run their own small business or even decided to stay home with the kids knows that buying health insurance can be a big financial drain. Having a spouse with insurance has been a great money saver.

4. Lastly, it's important to know what you want out of life. Before you quit your job to live off the land, think about what things in life make you happy. For example, I have friends who like to eat out often. If you are growing your own food, will staying home to cook all that produce fit in with what you like to do? Trying out the new budget before you dive into your new life (and out of the work force) is really helpful while you're doing some soul searching.


This week at the urban farm

Beautiful Black Swallowtail caterpillar found in the urban farm this morning.

I came home to find that some of the pullets now have real combs!

Onion harvesting and curing is underway.

The pressure canner is my new favorite toy. I'm really looking forward to harvesting and processing tomatoes into sauce, whole tomatoes, and salsas. Tomatillos, too!